In This Issue

• THE GREATEST COMMANDMENTS
• PERISH THE THOUGHT
• THE ABORTION PILL
• PJ vs. JC
• MORE INFORMATION...

THE GREATEST COMMANDMENTS

In Matthew, chapter 22, the enemies of Jesus try in quick succession to entangle Him in His speech, or find some occasion to undermine His popularity with the general populace. After the Pharisees and Herodians fail in their attempt to damage Him with the question about taxes paid to the Roman government, the Sadducees try to trap Him with a question regarding resurrection. "But when the Pharisees heard that He had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, ‘Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?’ Jesus said to him, ‘"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind." This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." On these two commands hang all the law and the Prophets’" (Matt. 22:34-40).

In Luke 10:25-29, Jesus had been involved a few months earlier in a conversation with a lawyer who had asked Him how to inherit everlasting life. On that occasion, Jesus had asked the lawyer what the law required and his answer was, "‘You shall love the Lord your God will all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind’ and ‘your neighbor as yourself.’" Jesus told him to do that and he would live. Then the lawyer, seeking to justify himself, had asked, "And who is my neighbor?" Jesus responded by telling the parable of the good Samaritan, in which He emphasized our duty to be a neighbor to those who are need. Who is my neighbor? Whoever needs my help!

But now in Matt. 22:34-40, a lawyer is asking basically the same question that Jesus Himself had once asked a lawyer. And in both cases the answer is the same.

Whereas many might ask such a question as the lawyer of Matt. 22 in hopes of finding out which commands are important, and which can be safely ignored, Jesus’ answer shows that any and all God’s instructions are important. Though there is a need to study God’s commands and determine which ones correctly apply to ourselves and the situation we are in, God never gave a command which was unimportant or could rightly be ignored by those to whom it applied. When a person loves God with all his heart, mind, soul, spirit and strength, he will not try to dismiss any of God’s instructions.

And even though He was not asked about the second command, Jesus saw a necessity to answer, because it is like the first. All of God’s commands involve either our direct relationship with God Himself, or our relationship with our fellow man. If we love God as we ought, we will learn to worship and serve Him as we ought. And if we love our fellow man as we ought we will treat Him as we ought. Upon these two principles, every precept of God’s word is based.

--CRJ

PERISH THE THOUGHT

While visiting a local area hospital recently, I was amused at their curb-side signs which read: "Don’t Even THINK About Parking Here!" Such novel wording reveals an insight into human nature. When the motorist begins to contemplate leaving his car in a no-parking zone, he is apt to think, "It’ll only be for a little while," or "I’m in a hurry," or "well, everyone else does it, why shouldn’t I?" Those who think thusly are likely to be found parked at the red curb. So the admonition not to even think about it is appropriate -- and not only for those tempted to park illegally.

Indeed, the Bible teaches of a serious correlation between our thinking and our temptations. "For out of the heart come forth evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, railings..." (Matt. 15:19). It is "from within" that all these evil things proceed and defile the man (Mark 7:21). As someone has observed, "What we sow in thought, we reap in deed." How true! Thinking about it is the prelude to practically every sin committed. Like the motorist rationalizing about the no-parking zone, most find it easy to mentally "sell" themselves on their temptations -- especially, after many thought-rehearsals. What sinner has ever failed to find his own "extenuating circumstances" to minimize or excuse his sin? "Every way of a man is right in his own eyes" (Prov. 21:2) -- even when he does that which he KNOWS to be wrong. Maybe he didn’t PLAN to be wrong, but then he didn’t plan NOT to either! This is not to say, of course, that all who have evil thoughts will necessarily involve themselves in evil deeds. It largely depends on what is done with the evil thought. If it is dismissed at once ("don’t even THINK about it"), it may do no harm. However, if it is nurtured, savored, and rehearsed, it is likely to find expression. As someone has said, "We can’t help it if birds fly overhead, but we need not let them build nests in our hair." If we fail to control our thoughts, it is not likely that we will control our actions.

For this reason we need more teaching and preaching aimed at the HEART of ungodly conduct. True, evil deeds must be condemned, but we must not overlook the heart from which they are launched. If we can eliminate the hate we can eliminate the murder and countless lesser conflicts (1 John 3:15; Matt. 5:21-28). When we are able to remove envy, jealousy, and anxiety from the heart, we will have spared the world their troublesome manifestations -- not to mention all the misery and heartache associated therewith. How much better off we would all be if we could just remember to NOT EVEN THINK about such things! "Can’t help it," you say?

Peter evidently thought men could control their thinking. He encourages "girding up the loins of your mind" (1 Pet. 1:13). Paul likewise admonishes "bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ" (2 Cor. 10:5) and to "think on these things" (Phil. 4:8). Can’t help it? Perish the thought!

--Dan S. Shipley

THE ABORTION PILL

[Editor's Note: Shortly after the following article appeared in Truth Magazine (Sept. 7, 2000 issue), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the abortion drug for use in the U.S.]

In France, there is an alternative to an invasive surgical procedure to terminate a pregnancy: abortion by medication. Mifepristone, commonly known as RU-486, has been available in France for 11 years and has gained regulatory approval in thirteen other countries. More than 300,000 women in Europe, and possibly more than three million in China, are estimated to have used mifepristone or another prostaglandin to end pregnancies.

Final talks are underway between the Food and Drug Administration and the Danco Group, the company sponsoring mifepristone in the United States, to clear approval for the American market. Called Mifeprex, the drug could be available sometime this year. One Kaiser Family Foundation survey of over 750 physicians and nurses found that over half said they were likely to incorporate mifepristone into their practice.

Colorado first legalized abortion in 1967 and the Supreme Court ruled abortion legal in all 50 states in 1973. According to the U.S. Abortion Index, 27% of pregnancies end in abortion and 93% of abortions are performed for social reasons. Nearly 1.25 million abortions are performed each year in the United States alone. That’s about 3 abortions every minute!

Abortion is the unlawful taking of human life! Under the Mosaic Law, God said, "If men strive, and hurt a woman with child, so that her fruit depart from her, and yet no mischief follow: he shall be surely punished, according as the woman’s husband will lay upon him; and he shall pay as the judges determine. And if any mischief follow, then thou shalt give life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe" (Exod. 21:22-25). The Psalmist David declared, "For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them" (Ps. 139:13-16). Jeremiah 1:4-5 records, "Then the word of the Lord came unto me saying, Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations."

Abortion is no less wrong when the means is medical rather than surgical!

--John Isaac Edwards

PJ vs. JC

I would think that everyone knows Who the second set of initials in the title belong to. The first set belongs to Peter Jennings. ABC did a documentary entitled "Search for the Historic Jesus" (June 26, 2000) which is evidently not the same Jesus as you read about in your Bible.

There was evidence of all kinds of presuppositions. The main thrust seems to have been to discredit the Bible as a reliable document. This, of course, presupposes that the Scripture is not the inspired word of God after all (2 Timothy 3:16,17 is therefore, untrue, as is much of the rest of the New Testament).

Though there is brief mention of Jesus Christ and His followers in first century literature, where does ABC get its information about the "historical Jesus"? Mainly from guesswork of unbelieving "scholars" who have taken it upon themselves to rid the world of its Savior. The religious leaders of Jesus' day rejected Him then, and today the "scholars" of the "Jesus Seminar" and others are saying similar things about Him. This is nothing new, except the "scholars" of Jesus' day did not have television, ABC and Peter Jennings' help.

Jesus once asked, "Who do you say that I am?" People had come to several different conclusions at that time. They still do. But the right answer was given by Peter in response to Jesus' question back on that first century occasion; "You are the Christ, the Son of the loving God." (Matthew 16:16-18).

The documents that make up our New Testament were written by those either personally involved with Jesus or those who were personally involved with those who had been with Him. We have recorded for us first hand testimony of His life and words. How easy it is today for these scholars to deny, for example, the resurrection of Christ. The enemies of Christ back in the first century did not have it so easy... there were far too many living witnesses and the tomb was obviously empty and something had happened to instill within the once frightened and hiding apostles the courage necessary to begin preaching and teaching Jesus boldly everywhere in spite of the threat of death.

How sad that ABC chose to do such a great disservice to this nation and to the God in whom it supposedly trusts. I know what the phrase "In God We Trust" means, and this ABC program was only about doubt, not trust. It was a disavowal of trust in God, for, as Jesus said, "in order that all may honor the Son, even as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him." (John 5:23).

Peter Jennings or Jesus. Who will it be for you?

-- Jon Quinn, Expository Files

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